Kansas HC Lance Leipold on staying put, program outlook and NIL

The Kansas Jayhawks are on the rise under head coach Lance Leipold.

After a lackluster 2-10 debut season in 2021, Leipold’s Jayhawks turned things around in a big way. They began the 2022 season on a 5-0 hot streak before finishing 6-7 on the year. This past season, Kansas went 9-4 overall (5-4 in Big 12 play), good for seventh in the conference. It was the program’s best season since 2007, when it went 12-1. 

Given Kansas’ recent rise, Leipold’s name has been floated around as a top-tier candidate for this college football offseason’s many head-coaching vacancies. 

That said, Leipold is “happy” in his current role and sees himself as an ideal fit with the Jayhawks. He also explained how his choice to stay at Kansas might impact his players’ decisions to stay as well on the latest edition of “The No. 1 College Football Show with RJ Young.”

“As we tell our players in today’s world of portal and opportunities and NIL — if we make all our decisions strictly based on money and transactional relationships, I don’t know if we’ll ever be fulfilled or happy,” Leipold said. “And if I’m going to say that to our players, I better make sure I’m walking that walk myself.”

Kansas’ 2023 campaign was highlighted by knocking off then-No. 6 and undefeated Oklahoma in Week 9 and wrapping up the season with a win over UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

The Jayhawks offense is led by running back Devin Neal, who picked up 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns on 6.3 yards per carry this past season. Jalon Daniels began the season at quarterback but only appeared in three games due to a back injury, with Jason Bean filling in admirably in his place, totaling 18 passing scores and a 175.0 passer rating. In all, Kansas averaged 446.1 total yards (fifth in the Big 12) and 34.9 points (fourth) per game.

On the other side, Kansas’ defense is highlighted by defensive lineman Austin Booker — who racked up 8.0 sacks this past season — and cornerbacks Mello Dotson and Cobee Bryant, who each finished 2023 with four interceptions apiece.

As for the facilities at their disposal, Kansas is expecting a new stadium in the near future, a process that drew rave reviews from Leipold.

“I think for a long time — through past administration and coaches — it [has] always been acknowledged that the stadium needed work and there are things that need to be updated, things that we were desperately behind in the Big 12 and across the country and facilities and other things,” Leipold said. “The energy and leadership of Travis Goff as athletic director and our chancellor Doug Girod — it’s the best alignment I’ve ever been a part of, and we kind of hit this thing altogether and really made some things happen. … I think it’s really gonna give us a chance to keep this thing on firm footing and build it for years to come.”

Kansas will be part of a new-look Big 12 next season, as Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC, and Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Arizona State join the Big 12 to make it a 16-team conference.

Leipold, 59, was the head coach of Buffalo from 2015-20 prior to taking over for Kansas.

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